What Centro Presente does

Centro Presente is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1981 that serves the Latino immigrant community of the state, with primary focus on Central American (Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Nicaraguan) populations. The organization operates as a member-driven entity where active members are eligible for nomination to the Board of Directors, elected at the Annual Member Assembly. Its core programs include the Women's Rights Center (a seven-week popular education series covering immigrant rights, civic engagement, labor rights, and self-care for immigrant women), Community Organizing & Advocacy (leadership development through workshops, home visits, and outreach), and Education for Empowerment (EFE), an adult education program offering ESOL instruction at three levels plus U.S. Citizenship & Civic Participation, serving approximately 300 individuals annually across four cycles. The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform; service delivery is grounded in popular education, community organizing, and direct service methods, with outreach through a long-running weekly radio program ("Al Día con Centro Presente"), social media, community events, and small business canvassing.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, operating as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) that solicits individual contributions across tiers ranging from $25 to $1,000, with supporters also able to host house parties and speaking events as fundraisers. Funding is supplemented by grants and coalition support from partner organizations. Centro Presente has no parent company, no institutional investors, and no equity-based funding structure; it is independently governed by its member-elected Board. The organization is led by Executive Director Patricia Montes, appointed in 2009, supported by a core staff of 1-10 employees including a Senior Paralegal directing the Legal Immigration Services program, a Finance Administrator, a Receptionist, an Immigrant Rights Organizer, and a Civic Engagement Organizer. Beyond paid staff, the EFE program relies on trained volunteer teachers.

Centro Presente has positioned itself as a national leader in TPS (Temporary Protected Status) advocacy since 1995, when it was among the handful of organizations that filed the petition for rulemaking leading to TPS establishment for Hondurans, Nicaraguans, and Salvadorans. In February 2018 it became lead plaintiff in Centro Presente v. Donald Trump, the first lawsuit filed nationally on behalf of Salvadoran, Honduran, and Haitian TPS recipients. The organization runs advocacy campaigns including "TPS to Residency Now," "Know and Defend Your Rights," and "Our Voices, Our Vote," and partners with Lawyers for Civil Rights, TPS Alliance, Alianza Americas, Massachusetts TPS Committee, and GreenRoots. Its operations are concentrated in East Boston and other Massachusetts municipalities including Cambridge, Somerville, Lawrence, and Boston.

Name

Centro Presente

Legal name

Centro Presente

Website

https://cpresente.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centro Presente is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 that provides legal services, adult education, civic engagement programming, and immigrant rights advocacy to the Latino, primarily Central American, immigrant community of Massachusetts through a member-driven organizing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigrant Rights and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & School System Navigation (Parent Engagement, Youth Services) (EDAAADAH), Anti-Fraud & Safety Education (Scams, Notario Fraud, Personal Safety) (EDAAADAK)

Keywords

• Immigrant rights advocacy
• Community organizing services
• Adult education programs
• Legal immigration services
• Civic engagement campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Donations: Centro Presente is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that operates primarily through tax-deductible donations from individuals. Donation tiers range from $25 to $1,000, with supporters able to organize fundraising events such as house parties or speaking events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Centro Presente is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that delivers legal immigration services, adult education (ESOL at three levels and U.S. Citizenship preparation), and community organizing and advocacy programs for the Latino immigrant community of Massachusetts. It operates the Education for Empowerment (EFE) program, the Women's Rights Center, and the TPS to Residency Now, Know and Defend Your Rights, and Our Voices, Our Vote campaigns, in addition to a weekly bilingual radio program for outreach and education.

Product overview

Centro Presente offers a portfolio of community programs and campaigns focused on immigrant rights, social justice, and civic empowerment. Core programs include the Women's Rights Center (leadership development for immigrant women), Community Organizing & Advocacy (leadership development and campaign engagement), and Education for Empowerment (adult education in ESOL and citizenship). These are complemented by advocacy campaigns including TPS to Residency Now, Know and Defend Your Rights, and Our Voices, Our Vote. The organization also operates a donation product for tax-deductible contributions and maintains a weekly radio program called Al Día con Centro Presente for community outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Education for Empowerment (EFE): Adult Education Program that helps recently arrived immigrants acquire necessary skills for better jobs, citizenship exams, and civic engagement through ESOL instruction and U.S. Citizenship & Civic Participation.
• Women's Rights Center
• Community Organizing & Advocacy
• TPS to Residency Now
• Know and Defend Your Rights
• Our Voices, Our Vote
• Al Día con Centro Presente

Products and services

• Education for Empowerment (EFE) Adult education program that serves approximately 300 individuals per year through four cycles of 36 hours of instruction in three ESOL levels (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) and U.S. Citizenship & Civic Participation, helping recently arrived immigrants secure better jobs, engage with schools, and pass citizenship exams.
• Women's Rights Center Program providing a space to promote new female leadership through learning, connecting, and exchanging experiences, with a seven-week popular education series on immigrant rights, civic engagement, labor rights, and self-care for immigrant women.
• Community Organizing & Advocacy Central organizing program that develops leadership within the Latino immigrant community and connects members with issues affecting their lives, engaging members through workshops, home visits, community walks, small business outreach, and tabling events.
• TPS to Residency Now Campaign Campaign launched in March 2017 that organizes TPS holders, educates the community about TPS and legislative proposals, and advocates for converting TPS to permanent residency through municipal and state resolutions and proactive legal strategies.
• Know and Defend Your Rights Campaign Campaign ensuring the Latino immigrant community knows their rights as immigrants and refugees regardless of legal status, distributing flyers, wallet cards, workshop curricula, and short videos through workshops, social media, and a weekly radio program.
• Our Voices, Our Vote Campaign Non-partisan civic engagement campaign seeking to educate and motivate the Latino immigrant community to participate in the electoral process through voter registration, electoral forums, educational workshops, citizenship classes, and outreach work.
• Al Día con Centro Presente Radio Program Weekly half-hour bilingual radio program that provides outreach and education to the Latino immigrant community of Massachusetts, exploring issues of critical importance to the community in their own language.
• Donate to Centro Presente Donation product allowing supporters to make fully tax-deductible contributions to Centro Presente, with suggested donation tiers of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, and $1,000.
• Legal Immigration Services (LIS) Legal services program staffed by a Senior Paralegal with over 20 years of immigration law experience, supported by legal interns and volunteers, that assists members with managing the U.S. immigration legal system.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Lawyers for Civil RightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2018Legal allies supporting Centro Presente in proactive legal strategies to fight racist attacks on TPS. Filed Centro Presente vs. Donald Trump lawsuit in federal court in Boston in February 2018, challenging Trump administration policies on behalf of TPS holders.
• Massachusetts TPS CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level coalition partner in TPS advocacy efforts supporting national legislative efforts in Washington to maintain TPS and promote residency.
• TPS AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance partner supporting legislative efforts to maintain TPS and promote permanent residency for TPS holders.
• Alianza AmericasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational coalition partner that provided support for Centro Presente's TPS campaign video production. Works together on advocacy to maintain TPS for Central American and Haitian immigrants.
• GreenRootsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental justice organization that partnered with Centro Presente to produce a Public Service Announcement promoting proper disposal of Personal Protection Equipment in East Boston during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CARECEN: Central American Resource Center providing legal services, organizing, and adult education for Central American immigrants in multiple states. Highly comparable given Centro Presente's Central American immigrant base and TPS advocacy focus.
• The Resurrection Project: Chicago-based Latino community organization combining civic engagement, education, and economic justice organizing. Comparable member-driven, community-organizing orientation toward Latino immigrant communities.
• CASA: Mid-Atlantic Latino and immigrant advocacy organization providing legal services, education, and organizing across Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Comparable scale, model, and target population to Centro Presente.
• Make the Road New York: New York-based immigrant and working-class community organization offering legal services, adult education (ESOL), and organizing. Closely mirrors Centro Presente's integrated legal+education+organizing model for Latino immigrant members.
• Centro Legal de la Raza: Bay Area nonprofit providing legal services, organizing, and education to Latino and immigrant communities. Directly comparable to Centro Presente in combining immigration legal services with adult education and community organizing, and serving a Central American population base.

Broad incumbents

• Alianza Americas: Transnational Latino immigrant advocacy network and documented Centro Presente partner. Comparable as a broader policy and coalition actor in the same Central American TPS advocacy space.
• National Partnership for New Americans: National umbrella advancing immigrant integration policy, including TPS and naturalization efforts. Comparable through shared national TPS advocacy agenda, though operating at a national rather than community-based scale.

Regional players

• MIRA Coalition: Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition — a statewide umbrella for immigrant-serving organizations, and a natural peer/ally operating in Centro Presente's exact service geography.
• The Welcome Project: Somerville, MA-based immigrant community organization offering ESOL, civic engagement, and cultural programs. A local peer operating in one of Centro Presente's named service municipalities with an overlapping adult-education mission.

Emerging players

• CUNY Citizenship NOW!: CUNY program providing free immigration legal services and citizenship preparation across New York. Direct functional peer for the citizenship-preparation and ESOL components of Centro Presente's EFE program.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/cpresente
• Facebookfacebook.com/centropesente
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-presente

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centro Presente